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The Mummy
*''This is a Real World article'' The Mummy is an adventure film released in 1999. It is produced by Universal Pictures, and is the first of the studios’ new revisionist Mummy trilogy. A loose remake and re-interpretation of the classic black-and-white monster movie The Mummy, which starred famous actor Boris Karloff, this film is an update for modern audiences, presented as an adventure tale. Starring actors Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Arnold Vosloo, John Hannah and Oded Fehr, the film became a surprise box-office hit during the summer of 1999, with a sequel, entitled The Mummy Returns, being green-lit thanks to this film’s success, and a third sequel, subtitled Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, was released on August 1st, 2008. Tagline The Sands Will Rise. The Heavens Will Part. The Power Will Be Unleashed... Plot The story begins in Thebes, City of the Living in ancient Egypt in the year 1290 B.C, where Seti I rules as pharaoh. Residing in Thebes is also the High Priest of Osiris, Imhotep, who acted as advisor, counsel and friend to Seti, but who also housed a secret: Imhotep harboured a secret love, Anck-Su-Namun, Seti's mistress. The two loved one another more than life itself, but as long as Seti lived, they could never be together, leaving them with the plan of assassinating Seti. As a precaution to ensure that Anck-Su-Namun stayed within Seti's rule, she was painted in several coats of golden body paint, which ensured that no other man could touch her. This precaution was thrown out when Anck-Su-Namun came close to Imhotep as the two were in Anck-Su-Namun's residence and the two shared a kiss, which ended in Imhotep smearing the paint on Anck-Su-Namu's left arm. The sign was overt: the concubine had been defiled by another man, and Seti, who had just come to Anck-Su-Namun's residence, had been surprised to see Imhotep's priests at the residence, but was utterly infuriated when he saw Anck-Su-Namun with the paint on her arm smeared and asked which man dared touch her. At that moment, Imhotep came from behind the pharaoh and was about to assassinate Seti with a dagger, but reluctantly ceased for a moment as Anck-Su-Namun stabbed Seti with another dagger, her lover joining in until Seti was killed. The Medjai, the pharaoh's elite guard, stormed the residence, seeking whoever had committed the crime. The Medjai were too late to catch the real culprit as Imhotep left the scene at the request of Anck-Su-Namun, who stated that only he could bring her back in case something happened. Upon discovering Seti's corpse and Anck-Su-Namun with a dagger, the guards watched as Anck-Su-Namun, feigning treachery, stabbing herself with the dagger in her hand. Soon after, Imhotep and his priests race into the deserts to seek Hamanaptra, the City of the Dead, where the wealth of kings and the resting place for pharaohs lay. Here Imhotep sought out the black Book of the Dead so as to revive his love, and began to perform the spell that would bring his love to life. But before the ritual could be completed, the Medjai, who had followed the priests as they headed to Hamanaptra, stormed the chamber where the ritual was being performed. To commit an act such as bringing one back from the dead was an act of the worst calibre, and so the priests were all forced to be killed by being mummified alive. The Medjai now operate as a secret organization that guards the City and Imhotep’s grave. In the ruins, a team of French Foreign Legion soldiers face off against Tuaregs, almost all of them being killed…except for American mercenary and Legion recruit Richard (Rick) O’Connell. He escapes the city with a tiny Ancient Egyptian key device. Three years later, bookish librarian Evelyn (Evey) Carnahan discovers a map to the now-legendary Hamunaptra, where she believes a vast treasure horde is buried. She hires O’Connell to lead her and her brother Jonathan on an expedition to the City, and they soon encounter a team of American treasure-seekers also headed for Hamunaptra, guided by a traitorous former friend of Rick’s, Beni Gabor. Evelyn and her companions uncover a hidden sarcophagus containing Imhotep’s slumbering, still-living decomposed mummy. That night, a group of Medjai warriors, lead by the wise and tough Ardeth Bay, attack the explorer’s camps and warn them to “leave this place or die.” Defying their grim advice, the American team discover a magical black book: The Book of the Dead. This obsidian volume, locked with an odd-shaped key symbol, contains spells that can revive the dead. Evelyn sees this Book and, with naive curiosity, steals it and begins to read from it, reawakening Imhotep’s rotted mummy down below in the catacombs. Evelyn and Rick encounter the walking mummy while escaping a swarm of locusts, and discover that the Medjai have saved one of the Americans from Imhotep’s wrath, missing eyes and his tongue. Fleeing back to Cairo, the explorers are unaware of Imhotep and a cowardly Beni following them back to civilization, intent on conquering the world and using Evelyn as a sacrifice to revive Ank-su-namun once more. The mummy systematically begins killing off the American hotshots who found the Book of the Dead, draining their fluids and replenishing his body back to healthy, human form. Imhotep now has incredible powers of mind control, transformation and control over the Biblical Plagues of Egypt. Kidnapping Evelyn, the undead priest returns to Hamunaptra to begin the ritual, chaining Evelyn to a sacrificial table. However, he has underestimated the bravery of the girl’s companions, Rick and Jonathan, who find the sister volume of the Book of the Dead: The Book of Amun Ra, which has spells capable of killing Imhotep. Rick engages Imhotep’s mummified slaves as Jonathan and Evelyn manage to unlock the Book of Amun Ra, calling forth a supernatural being that removes Imhotep’s unholy superpowers. O’Connell then stabs the now mortal Imhotep in the gut, killing him (hopefully) once and for all… The heroes then escape the city, bewitched to disappear beneath the desert at the pull of a lever, which a treacherous Beni Gabor accidentally rests on. He runs in pursuit of O’Connell and his two companions, pleading for them to wait, but becomes trapped in the treasure chamber with a swarm of flesh-eating scarab beetles, which devour him. Evelyn, O’Connell and Jonathan rush out of the ruins…just as Hamunaptra is swallowed up by the desert. The triumphant party sets off back home on camels, unaware that they are carrying bags of gold that Beni had hidden for himself. Overview: This was the first film in Universal’s remake Mummy trilogy. It was originally meant as a low-budget horror movie, with filmmakers such as George A. Romero originally involved in its production. One pondered story line had the film adopting a similar tone with Night of the Living Dead. However, director Stephen Sommers then approached Universal with a completely different idea: to turn the remake into an adventure movie ala Indiana Jones. This approach convinced Universal executives, and Sommers was hired to direct as well as write the film, and relatively unknown actors Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz and Arnold Vosloo were cast in the three crucial main roles. The budget was increased greatly, and the film was finally released on May 7, 1999. This remake adopts a more tongue-in-cheek, farcical tone than most adventure films or horror remakes. The film is focused primarily on humor and elaborate CGI special effects, which were nominated for an Academy Award. Sometimes throughout the movie the characters seem to possess knowledge of the fictional, “Hollywood-ized” universe they live in, stating such things as the Universal cliché of having the Mummy villain commit adultery with the Pharaoh’s daughter/mistress. Rick even acknowledges that the mission to rescue Evelyn fits the classic, “Rescue the damsel in distress, kill the bad guy, save the world” heroic plot. Differences/Similarities to The Mummy (1932 film): There are many similarities, as well as differences, between the remake and the classic original starring Boris Karloff. Differences: * In the original film, Imhotep does not have any kind of godlike, destructive powers and abilities granted by a curse, though he wears a magic ring and can hypnotize others. He also used telepathy to give Sir Joseph Whemple a heart attack. * Imhotep, once reawakened and recovered, went by the name of Ardeth Bay for the remainder of the film. This name was used for the Medjai leader Ardeth Bay in the remake series. * The archeologists that discover Imhotep’s coffin also find the sacred Scroll of Thoth, which is what revives the mummy, not the Book of the Dead. * In the original, Imhotep was sentenced merely to be mummified and buried alive, along with the Scroll he stole to use in his plan to resurrect his lover, the Pharaoh’s daughter, Ank-su-namun. But in the remake, Ank-su-namun is Seti’s mistress, and the role of the Pharaoh’s daughter is replaced with Princess Nefertiri. * The woman that Imhotep/Ardeth Bay discovers is the reincarnation of Ank-su-namun is named not Evelyn Carnahan, but Helen Grosvenor. * Imhotep only appears in his mummified, corpse state for the scene in which a curious archeologist reading the Scroll of Thoth reawakens him. After this, for the rest of the movie Imhotep is no longer clad in bandages, and has apparently began to heal back to his former youthful body, but still possesses wrinkled, ancient skin and a sunken, skeletal appearance. Similarities: * Both mummies in both versions are named Imhotep. * Both films involve a blasphemous priest who tried to revive a dead loved one, and was buried alive as punishment. * Rick O’Connell fills the original role of the handsome, heroic man who desires the heroine’s heart, Frank Whemple. * Both films share the same title. * The Egyptian woman for whom Imhotep was punished for trying to resurrect is named Ank-su-namun in both versions, although in the remake films her name is pronounced as “Ahk-na-su-namun.” * Both films were made by Universal Pictures, who are also well-known for their other classic monsters such as Frankenstein (also famously played by Boris Karloff), Dracula, The Wolf Man, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Invisible Man and the Phantom of the Opera. Legacy: The Mummy’s financial success resulted in two further sequels, forming a trilogy: The Mummy Returns and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. A Universal Studios theme park ride titled Revenge of the Mummy was introduced after the film and it’s sequel became a hit, and a spin-off film focusing on a character introduced in The Mummy Returns, Mathayus (The Scorpion King), was green-lit and released in 2002, titled The Scorpion King (film). A prequel Scorpion King movie was released in 2008 as a direct-to-DVD feature, starring Michael Chabon as Mathayus, replacing the character’s original actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Randy Couture. Trivia: * In the hanging scene at the Cairo Prison, Brendan Fraser really is struggling to breathe, and is actually being hanged. While shooting the scene the actor blacked out from the tight rope, and nearly died for real if not for the medics that came to his aid. * Joe Dante was originally attached to direct, and some of his ideas survived in the final movie, such as the scarab beetles. * Arnold Vosloo only agreed to the part of Imhotep if he could “play him absolutely straight.” * The role of Rick O’Connell had originally been offered to stars Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. None were either available or had no desire to accept the role. * Clive Barker’s original story was a violent, sexual, hardcore horror film that told the tale of a museum curator who uses a reanimated mummy to stalk and murder his enemies. * The Ancient Egyptian dialogue in the first two Mummy films were "reconstructed" by Egyptologist Stuart Tyson Smith, who did the same for the science-fiction film Stargate. It is unknown how to speak and properly pronounce Egyptian dialect, since vowels were not written into hieroglyphics. * The scene where Evelyn accidentally knocks over dozens of bookshelves in a dominoes pattern is similar to a scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indiana Jones topples over an Egyptian statue of Anubis (albiet deliberately). * The antique biplane used for this film during the sandstorm sequence is the same that was used by Indiana Jones and his father Henry Jones Sr. to escape a Nazi dirigible in the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. * Brendan Fraser’s performance and work in this film (along with the sequel The Mummy Returns) is spoofed in the movie Looney Tunes: Back in Action which also stars Brendan Fraser. * In real life, there really are beetles indigenous to Egypt known as scarabs, but they are not flesh-eaters as portrayed in the film. They were actually considered holy and were worshipped by the Ancient Egyptians. Appearances: Cast: * Brendan Fraser * Rachel Weisz * Arnold Vosloo * John Hannah * Oded Fehr * Patricia Velasquez * Bernard Fox * Jonathan Hyde * Kevin J. O'Connor Characters: * Rick O'Connell * Evelyn O'Connell (under maiden-name Carnahan) * Jonathan Carnahan * Warden Gad Hassan * Imhotep * Ardeth Bay * Dr. Terence Bey * Captain Winston Havelock * Beni Gabor * Anck-su-namun * Henderson * Burns * Daniels * Dr. Allen Chamberlin Artifacts: * Book of the Dead * Book of Amun Ra * Key (Puzzle Box) Locations: Egypt: * Fort Bryon * Hamunaptura * Thebes * Cairo * Giza 1 (film order) 3 (chronological)